Inclined coking-retort oven



Nov. 9 1926. 1,6034@ J. BECKER INCLINED coKING RETORT ,OVEN

Filed oct. 13. v1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Tan/ARES l A WAY HMM Nov. 9 N326.

J. BECKER INCLINED COKING RETORT OVEN 4 Sheets-5heet 3 Filed Oct. 13, 1922 Patented Nov. 9, 1926.

JOSEPH BECKER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T THE KOPPERS COM-v PAII'Yz 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA.

Y INCLINED COKING-RETORT OVEN.`

Application filed October 13, 1922. Serial No. 594,375.

This invention comprehends improvements in the art of inclined cokin'g retort ovens, and has fon objects the provision of an inclined retort that is highly eiiicient in operation and which will produce high grade coke and eect a substantially complete by-product recovery, although the entire distilli-ng operation is conducted rapidly and with great conseryationand equality in distribution of the heat.

Important characteristics of'the invention are: the employment in an inclined coking retort oven construction of the cross-over flow rinciple exemplified in my prior Letters atent of the United States No. 1,374,- 546, dated April 12, 1921, lto permit a considerable reduction not only in the length, but

also in the cross-sectional dimensions of the inclined or bus flues located at the top of the vertical flame flues and connecting a -plurality, of the latter with each other, and to'permit flow in the same direction through all the fiame fines of each heating wall, with the result that all the flame flues of each heating wallare either simultaneously burning or simultaneously operating as down :How flues for carrying away the waste gases to out flow operating regenerators; the attainment of equality in distribution of the heating effect in the heating walls, by a system that secures regulation of the flow through individual regenerators with their individually connected groups of flame fines at different elevations in the retort structure; and, as a further feature of the invention, the employment of the combination oven principle in an inclined retort construction, whereby the heat for coking the charges of coal in the retorts or coking chambers may be developed from thecombustion of the distillate gas from such retorts, or alternatively, from a special generator gas, such as ordinary producer gas.

In addition to the genera-l objects recited above, the invention has for further objects such other improvements or advantages in construction and operation as may be found to obtain in the structures and devices hereinafter described or claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part ot this specification and showin for purposes of exemplification, a pre erred form and manner in which the invention may be embodied and practiced, but without limiting the claimed invention specifically to such specific instance or instances Figure 1 isla` verticalsectional elevation of an inclined retort construction embodying features above specified and constructed in.

accordance with the improvements of the present invention, the view being taken crosswise through a heating wall and the regenerators in a vertical plane indicated by the line C-C of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a composite vertical sectional elevation taken longitudinally of a battery of inclined retorts, in planes indicated by the lines A A and B-B of Figure l;

Figure 3 is another crosswise section of the retort battery, the view being taken through a retort in a plane indicated by the line D-D of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a composite sectional view` taken on the inclined planes indicated by the lines E-E, IL-F and'zG-G of Figure 1|. In its present embodiment, the invention 1s incorporated in a combination inclined coking retort oven designed for the employment of either the coke oven gas, or of an' extraneously derived gas, such as producer gas, for the heating tuel. For convenience, the present description will be confined to .this embodiment of the invention; features ot construction and operation are, however, capable of other valuable applications such as 1n an inclined retort designed solely for the employment ofthe coke oven gas as fuel, or solely for the employment of the relatively lean extraneously derived gas as fueli consequently, the invention is not confined eoy in its scope to the specific use and specific embodiment herein described as an illustrative example. i

Referring to the drawings: There are illustrated views of an inclined retort oven of the by-product type, as hereinabove meny tioned, which retort embodies in its construction a plurality of intermediate vertically elongated inclined retorts or eoking chambers 12, said coking chambers inclining downwardly from the charging and distillate outflow end to thedischarge end, as shown 1n Figure 3. The heating ywalls 1.1 inclined at their top and bottom form the side walls of the respective coking chambers 12, as shown more particularly in Figure 2.

In thepresent instance, the heating walls-4 are directly supported by the pillar walls 13 5 inafter described, collectively iorm the main support for the entire superstructure of the battery and-are themselves supported upon a mat 14, on which the entire battery rests.

Thecoal to becoked is charged into the y retorts 12 through charging holes 16 located in the top .of the battery andat the upper ends of the several retort chambers, and the finished coke'is discharged through the door openings 17 that are located at the bottom ot the several inclined retorts 12. The inclination vof the retorts 12 is substantially that of the angle of repose of the coal charged into said retorts and, when the doorsare removed from the discharge open- 20 ings 17, the finished coke will slide by gravity out of the retorts 12. During the coking or distilling operation, the holes 16 of the respective retorts are employed as distillate outlets,l and, in order to conserve the distillate and' gases, said holes 1 6 are,.throughout'the distilling or coking operation, com-- municably connected with any suitable type of gas ofi-take main. Adjacentto each charging or distillate outlet 16, there is provided in the top of each retort 12 a smoke hole 18, which is closed by any suitvable cover during the distilling operation, but preferably opened during the charging' operation, to permit'the escape of the smoke which rises as the coal is charged into the Ahot retort. f l

' Heat' for coking the charges of coal in the .several retorts 12 is derived from 4the heating walls 11 abovemen-tioned. 'Refer- 40 ring now more particularly to'Figurel, each heating'wall'll is constituted of a'plurality of vertical Haine or` combustion' iues 19.

i The flame iiues of each heating wall, in-ac-l cordance with the invention, `al1 operate concurrently for flow in the same direction, that is to say, there is no countercurrent flow between flame lues in any single heat ing wall.y However, when the flame lues on one side of a cokmg chamber are burning,

that is to say, operating for upflow, the

ame flues on the'opposite side 'of the same coking chamber are operating for adownflow to permit exhaust of the waste gases. Consequently, flame is maintained in all the flueson one side of the charge of coking coal in each coking chamber, the heat being fapplied-to the full length of one side of such charge during an entire heating interval and, after reversal of the flow, vbeing applied to the full length of the opposite side of the charge, until a further effected. A

The regenerators 2O are incorporated in the refractory structure inclined atthe top reversal is i and bottom that is located beneath the retorts 12 and the heating .walls 11. Each regenerator 20 is a chamber containing open brick lwork, commonly called checker work, and indicated at 21, with a distributing sole channel 23 underneath such checker work, the channels forming the soles of such chambers and opening up into the checker work.

vThe regenerators are disposed, crosswise ot the battery, at different levels or tiers, and,

in the present instance, each c rosswise group of regenerators is composed of tour regenerators respectively separated fromv each other by the interior vertical partitions 24 As shown in Figures Sand 4, the sole channels from individual regenerators in the diierent levels or tiers of each crosswise the flues of a glven group,.each How box being provided with valve mechanism for controlling the directionm'of vflow through the group extend up to a iow box 25 common to whole crosswise group of regeneratiors.

Thev flow box 25 is provided with'an-air lid 26 and with a mushroom valve 27 which lrei spectively permit the admission of air into the regenerator's or the outflow of waste gases through the duct 28 leading tothe stack flue 29. The stack flue extends longitudinally of the battery and has similar f'loW- box connection with eachl crosswise group of regenerators. In the form of the. invention shown in Figure/1, thesole channels from ythe individual regenerators of each crosswise group Y* respectively extend from different levels-to the common flow box, whereas, in the form of the invention shown in Figure 3, the sole channels from the two lower regenerators of a crosswise group extend from the same lower level, and the sole vchannels from the vtwo upper regenerators extend from the same upper level.

The several -gas tight supporting walls 22 respectively extend directly beneath the coking chambers in parallelismbetween each two adjacent pillar walls 13. These supporting walls 22 provide two crosswiseL groups of regenerators Gr and H located respectively on the opposite sides of said walls 22 and between adjacent pillar walls 13.' The several walls 22 also have the function of supporting, the weight of the battery superstructure. This supporting-wall con` struction provides two series of c-rosswisc extending parallel gas tight load carrying walls located below the coking chambers and intermediate heating walls,4 the supporting walls of one series 13 being directly .beneath the heating walls and the supporting walls of the other series 22 being direct.

ly beneath the coking chambers. The walls 22 ,which are `beneath the cokingv chambers are constructed and function not as mere partitions commonly employed, but as true load carrying gas tight walls, permitting relatively different pressures to bev maintained in the checker Vwork chambers 0n the opposite sides of said Walls, or the ow of switches function With the downburning different media in the checker Work chambers separated by these Walls, Without leakages from one checker Work` chamber into.

another and Without danger of mixing gases in the checker Work chambers which must be kept separate in this region ofthe batterv.

The regenerators Gr and'H are heated, in. alternation, by the hot combustion products that are exhausted from the flame or combustion flues hereinbefore mentioned and then impart such heat to the medium that .they feed into these flame fines. In the present instance, the flow through the regenerators G, H between each two adjacent pillar Walls 13 is maintained concurrently .in opposite directions, for example, when the flow is passing up through a regenerator G, downflow is being maintained concurrently through the regenerator H. Each regenerator is provided with a series of ducts 30 all of which lead respectively to individual flame ues 19 of the same heating Wall, whereas the ducts 30 of the other regenerator'between the same pillar Walls 13, lead respectively to individual fiame fiues 19 of the next adjacent heating Wall, as clearly shown in Figure 2. Vith this construction, each flame fine 19 communicates by a pair of ducts 30 With adjacent separate regenerators of the pair of groups H, G, and the How through the regenerators H, G which are respectively located on opposites sides of the pillar Wall 13 is maintained concurrently in the same direction, that is to say, all the regenerators of both groups are either operating for infiow or for outioW.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the entire series of fiame flues 19 'of each heating wall 11 is either burning or operating for downflow to convey Waste products to the regenerators, beneath and con' sequently the crosswise .groups of communicably connected regenerators operate concurrently for floW in the same direction and in the same manner. The reversal in fioW through the flame flues19 on oppositesides of a coking chamber or retort, and their communicably connected regenerators may thus be 'said to take place longitudinally 'of the oven battery, instead of transversely.

series of flues of the next adjacent heating Wall, and the supply of gas' is turned off from the previously upburning flues and turned on into the Imains of-the previously downburning flues.

yEach flame flue 19 of each heating Wall y has at its top a port or opening 31 for draft and the passage of combustion products or Waste .gas from the vfiame within the flue. These ports 3l open up into inclined or busl flues 32 provided in the heatingwalls and connecting all of the vertical flues that communicate with such inclined fines 32 by means of the ports 31. invention there is in each heating wall va plurality of, in the present instance four of such inclined bus flues '32 positioned end to end With lrespect to each other and constitutedof the inside pair of bus flues K and the outside pair of bus flues L. reason of the fact that each heating Wall is provided with a plurality of such bus flues 32, these flues 32 are not required to be of so great capacity as that necessary in Well known horizontal coke oven practice and consequently the cross sectional area of each bus fue 32 may be materially reduced proportionately -With the length of such flue, with the result that the thickness and strength of theheating Walls are substantially increased in the region of the inclined bus flues. The inside and outside bus flues are, as shown in Figure 1, communicably connected with inside and outside groups K and L of combustion flues of their companion heating Wall. the fact that each bus flue 32 communicates with a substantially reduced number of vertical flues, in the present instance one quarter of' the flues of a heating wall, uniformity in distribution of the flow is greatly promoted. Moreover, each regenerator and its companion group of flame flues With their communicably connected inclinedbus fiues constitutes an operating or flow unit that may be regulated independently of the other flow units of the same heating Wall. This arrangement not only 'permits regulation of the inside groups of combustion flues K independently of the outside 4groups L', but also permits regulation of the heating effect throughout eachheating wall to provide, equality in distribution and to avoid the tendency, heretofore present in inclined 'retort constructions, for the heat to concen-v trate or overheating to occur in that region .at the top of the incline. This arrange ment prevents over-Coking in the upper region of the battery and any tendency for the distillates becoming exposed and impaired by regions of excessive heat concentration.

As shown, the inside bus flues K and the outside bus flues L of each heating Wall Because of i are communicably connected by duct means or passageways 33 respectivelywith the cor accompanied by a reversal in direction of the flow through all of the flues of each heating wall. i The draft through the ports 31 may be regulated by means of the usual movable damper-s or sliding bricksfl, positioned in the ordina-ry way in the bottoms of the `bus flues 32 and adapted to be reached by access flues 35 which extend from the top-of the bus llues 32 in each heating wall to the top of the battery, there being an access flue '35 positioned overA each flame flue of each The crossover ducts 33 may heating wall. be reached by similar access flues 36 individual to the respective crossover ducts.

Extending crosswise of the battery in eaclh .piumwau 1a and located beneath the heating wall 11 thereabove is a gas supply chan nel 37. These gas supply channels 37 are for the purpose of supplying coke oven gas to the several flame llues of their corresponding heating walls and communicate with the individual flues 19 by means of gas ducts 38 that lead from such channels individually intothe bottoms of individual" lues.' AWithin the ducts 38 are disposed the usual nozzles 39.` The supply of coke Voven gas to the channels 37 is derived from coke oven gasv mains of' the usual type, which may be reL spectively locatedon opposite sides Of the battery. Suitableme'ans is provided for a'dmitting or cutting olf the supply of gas with lrespect to the channels 37, it being understood that the gas supply is allowed tof flow into alternate channels, while the supply-is cut olf from the intermediate chan--V nels; I For operating the battery. alternatively' with a special generator gas, such as producer gas, the several regenerators H may be optionally connected with a producer gas main, so that the producer gas. may be directed into 'such of the groups of the regenerators H as are operating for inflow v and conveyed -through these regenerators into burning The operation of the inclined retort battery, when employing an ordinary lean gas,

vsuch as producer gas, for the fuel is as fol` alternate regenerators H, such as. are oper- .such alternate groups of regenerators H, -waste gas from the down burning flues 1s ators.

lows The supply ofcoke oven gas to the coke oven gas main and to all of the coke oven gas channels 37 is out off. -A supply of producer gas is permitted to flow into the ating for inflow and passing through such groups of regenerators is preheated before being delivered into the burning flame flues. Duringthe inflow of producer gas through flowing out through Athe outflow regenerators (l as well as through the regenerators H,

constituting thev groups that are intermediate such alternate regenerators. In the regenerators G of the before mentioned alternate the flow.y the inflow regenerators become outflow regenerators and concurrently the out- Y flow regenerators become inflow rege`ner- `In operating the battery with coke oven gas, the supply of producer gas to inflow regenerators H is shut oil| and air is' permitted to flow Ainto such regenerators in place. of thevproducer gas. During coke oven gas operation, a supply of coke oven gas is maintained inflfthe channels 37 which feed the upburning flues. The reversingl mechanism is operated at peach' reversal to place allof the inflow operating regenerators in communication with the outer air and concurrently all of the outflow operating regenerators in communication with the exhaust. l The invention as hereinabove set forth is embodied in a particular form of construc` tion but may be variously embodied within the scope of the claims hereinafter made.

I .claimt Y A l. In aninclined retort battery, in combination: a plurality of inclined retort cham-v bersgheating Walls contiguous to said retort "chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion flues, the flues of each heating wall being disposed into individual inside and outside groups; inclined bus flues in each heating wall and respectively companion to and communicably connected with the individual inside and outside groups of said combustion flues; the inclined bus flues being also communicably connected with the correspondingbus fluesof an adjacent heating wall; regenerators disposed in tiers at a lower .level than said combustion flues and constitutedv of' pairs of crosswise groups,

Awith, a pair of such regenerators corresponding to r,and communicably connected with a group of such combustion flues; and means 'common to" each crosswise group of regenermoeite vidual groups;'inclined bus 'lues in each'I heating Wall and respectively companion to and comniunicably connected with the individual groups of said combustion ilues; vthe inclined bus iiues being also coinmunicably connected with the corresponding bus ilues of an adjacent heating wall; regenerators disposed in tiers at a low-er level than said combustion ues and constituted of pairs, of crosswis-e groups, with a pair of such regenerators corresponding to and communicablyv connected with a group of such combustion iiues; and means common to each crosswise group of regenerators for-controlhng the-d1- rection of flow through all of the regener-A ators of the group.; substantially as specified.

3. In an inclined retort battery, in combi-- nation: a plurality of inclinedretort chambers;heating Walls contiguous to said retort chambers and, respectively constituted o-f vertical coInbustion-tiues,v the lues of each heating Wall being disposed into individual inside and outside groups; inclined bus fines in each heating wall and respectively companion to and-communicably connected with the individual inside-'and outside groups of saidl combustion iues; the inclined bus lues being also communicably connected with the corresponding bus lines of an adjacent heating Wall; and regenerators disposed 1n tiers at a lower level than vsaid combustion fines and constituted of pairs of crosswise groups,

with a pair of such regenerators correspond-- ing to and communicably connected'with a Y group of such`combnstion lilies; substantially as specified. .l 4. 1n an inclined retort battery, 1n combination: a plurality of inclined retort cham-k bers; heating Walls .contiguous to said retort chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion iiues, the lines of each heating wall being disposed into individual groups; inclined bus lues in each .healing Wall and respectively companion to and communicably connected with 4the individual groups of said combustion flues; the inclined bus fines being also communicably connected with the corresponding bus flues of an adjacent heating wall; and regenerators disposed in tiers ata lower-level than said combustion lines land constituted of pairs of crosswise groups, with. a pair of such regenerators corresponding to. and l communicably connected with a group of combustion lines; substantially as speci e 5, ln an inclined retort battery, in' combination: a plurality of inclined retort chambers; heating Walls contiguous to said retort chambers and respectivel. constituted ot' vertical-combustion fines, he flues of each heating Wall being disposed into individual inside and'outsidev groups; inclined busv fiues in each heating Wall and respectively companion to' and communicably connected with the individual inside antd outside groups of' saidcombustion fines; the inclined bus lues being alsocomniunicablyconnected with the corresponding bus liues of an adjacent`heating wall; and regeneratrsf communicably connected with said 'combustion lines; substantially as specified.

6. n an inclined retort-battery, in combination: a. plurality of inclined retortv chan1- bers; heating Walls contiguous to said retort chambers'and respectively constituted of vertical combustion lues, the fiuesof each heatl ing Wall being disposed into individual groups; inclinedA bus lues in ea'ch heating vall-Y-Y and `respectively companion to and communicablyI connected With Athe individualv groups of said Vcombustion flues; the inclined bus fines being also communicably connected with the corresponding bus flues of an adjacentheating Wall.;v and regeneratorrs connnunicably connected with said combustiorr-ilues; substantially as specified.

7.- I'n an inclined retort battery, in comi bination: a plurality of inclined retort chambers; heating. walls contiguous to said retort chambers and respectively constituted of vertical combustion flues,lthe ilues of each heating -Wall being communicably connected lwith the flues of another heating lWall; and regenerators.commnnicably con- -nected With said combustion fines; substantiallyas specified.

8. An inclined regenerative heating structure comprising: a retort chamber, iued heating Walls respectively constituting the opposite side Wallsl of said retort chamber, the 'lues of the heating-Walls being communicably connected .With each other by duc-t means extending over the top of the retort chamber, reversible means for 1nain- 'taining combustion in alternation in said heating Walls. so that gas'es. produced by the combustion in one heating Wall may be drawn off through the other, and reversiblel regenerators respectively connected with sail heating Walls; substantiallyl as specie 9. An inclined regenerative heating structure comprising: a retort chamber, lined heating Walls respectively constituting the opposite' side Walls of said' retort chamber, the flues of the heating Walls being communicably connected with each other by duct means extending across the retort chamber, reversible means for maintaining combustion in alternation in said heating las Walls, so that `@fases produced by the` combustion in one eating Wall may be drawn of through the other, and reversible regenerators respectively connected with said heating walls; substantially as specified.

10. In an inclined retort battery having a plurality of inclined'retort chambers, and heating Walls contiguous to sa1d^ retort chambers, the improvement characterized by regenerators disposed in crosswise .groups individual to the respective heating walls, and means common to all the regenerators of each group for controlling the direction of flow through said regenerators; substantially' as specified. v

11. In. aninclined 4retort battery having a plurality of; inclined retort chambers,

-for etfectin lthe' improvement characterized Aby heating `Walls constituted of verticalfluesdisposed into` insidel and outside groups' allof the Hues of a given'wall being adapted to pass the gases in the same direction, and means indiyidual regulation of the [low throng said groups; substantially as sp cilied.

2.11m an inclined retort battery having a plurality. of inclined` retort chambers` the improvement .characterized by heating Walls constituted of individually regulable `groups of flame flues, combinedvwith regenr. :erators individual to said groups; substany tially as specified.'

A13. In a retort battery, in combination: a plurality of retort-chambers, heating Walls contiguous to said retort chambers and respectively constituted of combustion iues.

the iues of each heating Wall being dis-` posed into individual inside and outside groups; bus flues in each heating Wall respectively companionto and cpmmunicably connected with the individual inside and .outside groups of said combustion flues; the

bus tlues being. also.communicably connected 'with' the corresponding bus vflues of an adjcent heating wall; substantially as speciie y 14. In a retort battery` having a plurality of retort chambers','the improvement charl acterized by `heating Walls constituted of 'liues disposed* into.A inside `andoutside groups, 4all of the iiues of a given wall lie-- ing adapted to pass only burning or only Waste gases, and means for 'eectmg individual' regulation of the flow through said groups; substantially as speci ed.4

15. A retort battery havinga plurality of retort chambers and heating Walls constituted of lues disposed into inside and outside groups, all of the flues of a given Wall being adapted to pass only burning or only my hand. v

JOSEPH BECKER. 

